- Aug 11, 2012
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Hi All,
This is going to be long, but I want to make sure I have listed all the information.
I am new to owning chickens and beginning to wonder if this is worth it. We 'had' 2 French Cooper Marans, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Serama Rooster and 2 Serama Hens (for my kids). The first hawk attack came in the early evening 6ish and took my 2 of my husbands Marans, one came back an hour later and took one of my Buffs.
I googled info on hawks to realize the times of day they are out more often. We thought because we lived in an area that had some really good tree cover that the girls would be fine. That is the opposite of fine apparently, the hawks are hiding in the trees.
We waited about a week to give the hawks a chance to clear. My only hen left, Miss Heidi managed to hide but was so lonely. We purchased (again) 3 French Coopers 1 yrs old and laying and 2 Buffs that are around 5 mths. A few days ago my husband was in his office and heard alot of screeching and ran outside. He found a hawk carrying off one of his Marans and another one in the clutches of a hawk. He fired his gun to scare it and it dropped the hen. He ran over and picked her up and she was in a bit of shock. He isolated her from the rest and wrapped he in a blanket. One also got my mini Serama rooster while he was protecting his girls.
When I got home I took her out to look at her wounds and on her back all of her feathers were missing as well as most of her tail feathers and some of her breast feathers. By now she was very alert as a plane flying overhead freaked her out and she ate some food and drank some water. She had 3 puncture wounds and her skin was ripped about an inch maybe more and so deep you could see her muscles and her left leg she can't put weight on.
My husband suggested putting her out of her misery, but I just couldn't do it. She was hurt and needed our help, I had no idea what to do because I have never owned farm animals. I googled and read about how to treat it so here is where I need your help.
We took her inside and I washed her wounds with a peroxide mixed with warm water and applied some A&D ointment since I was out of neosporin the first day. Her wound seemed to be tearing more so my husband put some stitches in it. I know that was a risk from what I read that you can sometimes worsen the condition by causing an infection. But we thought it might be best and risk it since it was so deep and we didn't want it to get bigger. We bathed her to get the blood off and she lost even more feathers! I blow dried her which she actually seemed to enjoy. We put her on our enclosed porch in a crate with a blanket at night. The next day I purchased some Antibiotics and electrolites for her water since the wound was deep. Iodine to rewash her wounds and Alushield to protect her wounds. She didn't want to eat her regular layer food, so I tried some starter chick food. She is eating it really well and drinking.
Here is where I am concerned: She is alert to her surroundings, she is alert in the morning, eats, drinks, but seems to sleep alot. I take her into the yard to sit to get some sun and she just lays there, but picks at the bugs. She favors her left leg it is limp, it doesn't feel broken, but there is a puncture wound on her back that is by her thigh and it is badly bruised. I am wondering how long it will take for her to get back on it. Her stitches look great and her wounds aren't oozing or infected in fact they are looking good, but I don't understand why she lost more feathers and why she seems to sleep more than usual? My husband said it should be normal and equates it to a human that had surgery. Should I switch her back to her regular food in a day or so, or does it matter if she is still eating the starter? I just want her to eat so she will drink and get stronger...I mashed an egg yolk in her food and she didn't like it. I was trying to get her a lot of protein. She was laying eggs but stopped when we got them last week from the transition they said, just when they should start laying a hawk attacks and freaks them all out. Should I be concerned with her laying an egg? If I keep her on starter food will she lay? Does anyone know if her sleeping and feather loss is normal? What do I do now for her? How long are they messed up after an attack and how long should I keep her isolated? I spend time talking with her throughout the day...she seems a little bummed that she isn't with her friends. I am not sure when to put her back in, I hear if you keep them out too long they need to be re-introduced? Also her friend who survived the attack seems displaced because she isn't there. Can someone shed some light on this? I would greatly appreciate it.
This is going to be long, but I want to make sure I have listed all the information.
I am new to owning chickens and beginning to wonder if this is worth it. We 'had' 2 French Cooper Marans, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Serama Rooster and 2 Serama Hens (for my kids). The first hawk attack came in the early evening 6ish and took my 2 of my husbands Marans, one came back an hour later and took one of my Buffs.
We waited about a week to give the hawks a chance to clear. My only hen left, Miss Heidi managed to hide but was so lonely. We purchased (again) 3 French Coopers 1 yrs old and laying and 2 Buffs that are around 5 mths. A few days ago my husband was in his office and heard alot of screeching and ran outside. He found a hawk carrying off one of his Marans and another one in the clutches of a hawk. He fired his gun to scare it and it dropped the hen. He ran over and picked her up and she was in a bit of shock. He isolated her from the rest and wrapped he in a blanket. One also got my mini Serama rooster while he was protecting his girls.
When I got home I took her out to look at her wounds and on her back all of her feathers were missing as well as most of her tail feathers and some of her breast feathers. By now she was very alert as a plane flying overhead freaked her out and she ate some food and drank some water. She had 3 puncture wounds and her skin was ripped about an inch maybe more and so deep you could see her muscles and her left leg she can't put weight on.
My husband suggested putting her out of her misery, but I just couldn't do it. She was hurt and needed our help, I had no idea what to do because I have never owned farm animals. I googled and read about how to treat it so here is where I need your help.
We took her inside and I washed her wounds with a peroxide mixed with warm water and applied some A&D ointment since I was out of neosporin the first day. Her wound seemed to be tearing more so my husband put some stitches in it. I know that was a risk from what I read that you can sometimes worsen the condition by causing an infection. But we thought it might be best and risk it since it was so deep and we didn't want it to get bigger. We bathed her to get the blood off and she lost even more feathers! I blow dried her which she actually seemed to enjoy. We put her on our enclosed porch in a crate with a blanket at night. The next day I purchased some Antibiotics and electrolites for her water since the wound was deep. Iodine to rewash her wounds and Alushield to protect her wounds. She didn't want to eat her regular layer food, so I tried some starter chick food. She is eating it really well and drinking.
Here is where I am concerned: She is alert to her surroundings, she is alert in the morning, eats, drinks, but seems to sleep alot. I take her into the yard to sit to get some sun and she just lays there, but picks at the bugs. She favors her left leg it is limp, it doesn't feel broken, but there is a puncture wound on her back that is by her thigh and it is badly bruised. I am wondering how long it will take for her to get back on it. Her stitches look great and her wounds aren't oozing or infected in fact they are looking good, but I don't understand why she lost more feathers and why she seems to sleep more than usual? My husband said it should be normal and equates it to a human that had surgery. Should I switch her back to her regular food in a day or so, or does it matter if she is still eating the starter? I just want her to eat so she will drink and get stronger...I mashed an egg yolk in her food and she didn't like it. I was trying to get her a lot of protein. She was laying eggs but stopped when we got them last week from the transition they said, just when they should start laying a hawk attacks and freaks them all out. Should I be concerned with her laying an egg? If I keep her on starter food will she lay? Does anyone know if her sleeping and feather loss is normal? What do I do now for her? How long are they messed up after an attack and how long should I keep her isolated? I spend time talking with her throughout the day...she seems a little bummed that she isn't with her friends. I am not sure when to put her back in, I hear if you keep them out too long they need to be re-introduced? Also her friend who survived the attack seems displaced because she isn't there. Can someone shed some light on this? I would greatly appreciate it.
